Clark, Perry, Sutherland: The evolution of a record-breaking Ashes star

Annabel Sutherland has been on a cricketing tear over the past 18 months, and the scary prospect for England ahead of the Ashes is that the young Australian star with a legendary AFL player’s number on her back has a plan to get even better.

Sutherland, 23, shapes as a key figure in the multi-format series against the Heather Knight-led England, beginning with a one-day international at North Sydney Oval on Sunday.

The dynamic all-rounder has been brutal with the bat since her breakthrough Test century against England at Trent Bridge in 2023, while her fast-medium bowling has been just as impressive, ensuring the Victorian and former East Malvern Tooronga Cricket Club junior is now a permanent face in all three formats of the game.

Already with an impressive batting strike rate in the three formats, Sutherland says she has been working on improving her hand speed and power with batting coach Carl Sandri.

“I have worked a lot on my hand speed to try and keep hitting the ball harder … with the women’s game, there is just not as much pace on the ball. So, if you want to hit the ball hard, you have to be able to generate that speed, and power from your own technique,” Sutherland said.

“I have worked a lot on my hitting, particularly with my hands. Growing up, I was particularly technically correct. That serves me well in long formats. From that base, it’s how can I score quickly in the shorter format.”

Hand speed has become more important in the modern game for men and women, as batters do not rely on their feet positioning as much. Glenn Maxwell has been the master of this, particularly during his heroics through Australia’s 2023 ODI World Cup win, Sutherland acknowledging he was a “genuine freak, but it’s a good example of what’s possible if you get your hands moving pretty fast”.

“Technique is always important in terms of head position, but I think creating a strong base with your lower half [is important],” Sutherland said.

“We have done a lot of work in terms of drills, as simple as drop balls. You have to be really strong with your hands to get through the ball, so a lot of work, particularly through this off-season, on that sort of stuff. Then going into games with that freedom and confidence in my hands, not just relying on hitting through the line of the ball, I can really generate some power.

“We are seeing it a lot more, especially in the men’s Big Bash, just the ability to manipulate the ball, access behind the wicket with hand speed and different stuff like that, opening up the ground, in general, is something everyone in cricket is trying to do at the moment.”

Sutherland has already shown her skill with the bat. Her Trent Bridge knock, with her team keen for runs, of an unbeaten 137 from 184 deliveries, with 16 boundaries and a six, was the highest score by a No.8 in women’s Test history.

Aged 21 at the time, she was the youngest Australian woman to score a Test century since Belinda Clark in 1991, while she finished with the quickest Test ton by an Australian woman.

Her maiden one-day international century, against Ireland, soon followed, while there was more history against South Africa at the WACA ground last summer, when she crunched the fastest Test double century by a woman, touching the milestone off 248 balls, eclipsing the 306 balls by Karen Rolton.

She was eventually dismissed for 210, the second-highest Test score by an Australian woman after Ellyse Perry’s unbeaten 213.

Then came her 110 in an ODI against India at the WACA ground, lifting her team from 4-78, before another backs-to-the-wall knock, this time with an unbeaten 105 against New Zealand in an ODI in Wellington in December. Overall, Sutherland has 734 runs at 45.87 at a super clip of 93.74 in ODI cricket.

Teammate Alana King has watched Sutherland mature since their days together at Prahran Cricket Club. King said Sutherland’s attention to detail was second to none.

“I have seen ‘Bellsy’ pretty much grow up when we were playing at Prahran together, when she was a 14- or 15-year-old kid coming through. To see her now dominating in world cricket and even franchise cricket around the globe, it’s nothing short of the work she has put in over the years,” King said.

“She is a very mature player for her age. She is a great thinker. She is always striving to get better. Those little one percenters people talk about, she does them exceptionally well.

“It’s just great to see her in these last few series. She has flourished into that role where she has absorbed so much pressure, as a 22-year-old, to get the team back into a really good position, then to have those hundreds … I have just loved how she has gone about it.”

Sutherland’s all-round class has also been on show with the ball, including a 4-39 in the win over India in Brisbane, and 3-39 in another ODI against New Zealand late last year.

Sutherland’s fortitude and sharp mind has her destined for leadership honours, although she insists that is not on the agenda.

However, it is strong leadership that she admires, for the No.14 she dons is in honour of former Geelong skipper and four-time premiership great Joel Selwood.

“I have just looked up to the way he goes about his business as a leader and just the way he played his footy, too,” Sutherland said.

Sutherland and her family, including brother Will, the Victorian and Melbourne Renegades captain, and father, James, the former Cricket Australia chief and now head of Golf Australia, are passionate Cats supporters, with James also on Geelong’s board of directors.

Annabel has chatted with Selwood, but not in a formal leadership sense, although Will has spent time with Selwood in this regard.

After the record attendance and ratings of the 2023 women’s Ashes series in England, and the passionate fervour just seen locally in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, Sutherland hopes to play before packed crowds against England.

Australian captain Alyssa Healy was left with a “bittersweet” taste after the drawn 2023 campaign, when the tourists squandered a strong start, although they did leave with the Ashes for the fifth straight series.

Sutherland says Australia are determined to claim a series victory, the tour concluding in the day-night Test at the MCG from January 30.

While she has played there in the Women’s Big Bash League, Sutherland has not represented Australia on the hallowed turf, the then 18-year-old having been a squad member but not part of the XI in the Twenty20 World Cup final in 2020.

That contest was held before 86,174 fans, with Sutherland hoping that “the bar has been set and this Test match can keep raising it”.